'No strength of character!' Starmer slammed for 'no new ideas' after promoting Blairites to Shadow Cabinet
Sir Keir Starmer has been criticised for having 'no new ideas'
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Sir Keir Starmer has been criticised for having "no new ideas" after promoting Blairites to the shadow cabinet in his reshuffle today.
Veteran Labour MP Pat McFadden, who was Tony Blair's Political Secretary and has served in numerous roles under Blair and Brown, was appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
He will also take on the role of National Campaign Co-ordinator.
Hilary Benn, who was a cabinet minister in both Blair and Brown governments, has been appointed to the Northern Ireland Office.
Conservative Party Chairman Greg Hands said: 'This reshuffle shows Sir Keir Starmer offers no new ideas'
After today's reshuffle, there are now five former Blair-era Labour special advisers in Keir’s new cabinet; including Ed Miliband, Jonathan Ashworth and Liz Kendall.
Kendall was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for work and Pensions.
Hitting out at the Leader of the Opposition, Conservative Party Chairman Greg Hands said: "This reshuffle shows Sir Keir Starmer offers no new ideas, just more of the same old short-term approach to politics which has failed this country.
"He constantly changes positions to win votes, showing he doesn’t have the strength of character to lead Britain."
Starmer used today's reshuffle to replace Lisa Nandy, who was Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
She has been appointed Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development and was replaced in the Department for Levelling Up by Deputy Leader Angela Rayner.
Rayner cannot be moved from her role as Deputy Leader, given it is an elected position, but her title has been changed to Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - signalling Starmer's determination to win a general election.
She previously held several roles, including the Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work.
Steve Reed was given a significant demotion, being moved from the Justice Department to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Labour MP Shabana Mahmood will take his place as Secretary of State for Justice.
She previously acted as the Labour Party National Campaign Coordinator, a role she has done since 2021.
Starmer has been under increasing pressure in recent months to make changes to his top team in order to boost Labour's standing in the polls.
The Labour party is 14 points clear of the Tories, according to an Opinium poll from this Saturday, but the Leader of the Opposition is said to be looking for an even bigger lead, with today's reshuffle understood to be central to his plan.
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Starmer has been under increasing pressure in recent months to make changes to his top team
PA
Rishi Sunak conducted a mini reshuffle of his Cabinet last week, moving Grant Shapps to the Minsitry of Defence to replace Ben Wallace.
Former PPS Claire Coutinho, known to be loyal to the PM, was promoted to Shapps' old role int he Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.